1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of computer systems management and, in particular, to methods, systems, and computer program products for providing file system availability during local path failure of a non-server node.
2. Description of Background
Large computing systems typically include a plurality of processor nodes and disk drives. A subset of these nodes are designated to act as server nodes. The remaining nodes, designated as non-server nodes, may perform input/output (I/O) operations on a disk drive through a server node or over a local path. From time to time, an adapter, cable, switch, or other hardware element may fail while a non-server node is accessing the disk drive through a local path. This failure may cause one or more I/O operations to fail, ultimately resulting in file system unmount due to lost access to the disk drive. Mounting refers to the process of malting a group of files in a file system structure available to a user by making a data storage drive physically accessible, logically accessible, or both. The file system structure defines the manner in which files are named, as well as the locations in which these files are logically placed for storage and retrieval. In the event of a file system unmount, a user may be deprived of access to important data. Accordingly, what is needed is an improved technique for providing file system availability in the event of a local path failure.